HIV/AIDS prevention

 Hundreds of outreach visits were made to inform thousands of young people about HIV/AIDS facts and VCCT services. A large percentage of them were tested for HIV and received both pre- and post-test counseling.

 45,000 secondary school students in 235 secondary schools participated in life skills-based education. In order to maximize the use of the life skills-based curriculum and strengthen the quality of teaching, UNICEF and CIVITAS developed and printed Life Skills Manuals for teachers and students.

UNICEF has supported the establishment of an inter-sectoral National Advisory Board (NAB) to develop and oversees the implementation of the first National Strategy for prevention and fight against HIV/AIDS in Bosnia and Herzegovina 2004 – 2009, as well as design of the Global Fund application of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The application was successful and the implementation of the Global Fund Programme will bring a significant increase in the number of interventions established to prevent HIV.

The project, “What Every Adolescent Has a Right to Know”, was based on participatory research with and by young people and raised awareness among thousands of young people. The principal aim of the initiative, implemented in both rural and urban areas, was to provide young people with the knowledge that they need to protect themselves and others.

A research study on Young People Selling Sex was conducted in Bosnia and Herzegovina to improve the understanding of the needs of young people from their perspective and identify possible entry points for the prevention of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The research was carried out by NGOs working with the populations of commercial sex workers, injecting drug users, men who have sex with men, as well as general youth populations.

In order to strengthen the evidence base on individuals (adolescents and adults) engaging in behaviours that put them at risk of contracting HIV, as well as to strengthen the M&E system for HIV/AIDS, UNICEF has produced the following documents: a) comprehensive analysis of existing data/information on risk groups; 2) a mapping of the relevant actors in the country and an analysis of their capacity for involvement in a BSS study; and, 3) an analysis the M&E system in BIH. These documents will provide the basis for the bio-behavioural survey (BSS) in BIH.